Living in Chaos: The Tyrant
by Zhang Ce
Summary: Part 1 of a series. Vaguely follows histroy. While an alliance is formed to attack the tyrant, Dong Zhuo, many individuals face their own problems.
1. Dong Zhuo's Ambition

Chapter 1, Dong Zhuo's Ambition  
  
As dawn hit the prosperous city of Luo Yang, sentries of the night went inside to rest until  
  
their next shift, while more guards came out of their quarters to patrol the city and it's massive  
  
eastern wall protecting the city. The town slowly came alive as the sun went higher in the  
  
morning sky. People of all sorts were leaving their homes to attend work that they had to do.   
  
Merchants were already on the street shouting out what they were selling to the people as they  
  
went by. Hunters were grabbing their bows and arrows, getting ready for a long's day work so  
  
they could eat. Children were either running around and playing in the streets, or helping their  
  
parents with work. Servants of the emperor were running to the palace hoping that their tardiness  
  
would not get them executed.  
  
A man, heavily cloaked with rags was descending a mountain just outside the gates on a  
  
steed. He was a little taller than an average man, but not by much. He wore a hood over his head  
  
which covered his face with it's shadow. He had a large object, which was covered with a cloak  
  
as well, tied on the horse's side. His horse had armor covering most of it's head and it's body.   
  
The steed had dark skin and hair and galloped at a fast rate without showing any sign of fatigue.   
  
The man had long composite bow on his back and a quiver of arrows held down by the bow. He  
  
had reached the bottom of the mountain when he stopped, dismounted his steed, and looked at  
  
the incredible gate that had never failed to protect the people inside the city from invaders. He  
  
thought this fact to himself. "Not yet, anyway."  
  
At the same time, the sun rose in a place much farther away from Luo Yang, the people,  
  
already moving around, and the city, already loud. Troops were practicing drills under the  
  
supervision of a vassal of the prefect. Farmers, moving outside the city walls to attend their land.   
  
Ministers, already inside the palace, discussing problems in the city and offering suggestions.   
  
Commoners, building up the defenses of the gate itself. A squadron of trained troops, patrolling  
  
the populous streets of the city. This metropolis was the city of Jiang Liang, a province much  
  
south of Luo Yang.  
  
Here lived a man of a little fame, little wealth, but of great skill. His name was Zhang Ce.   
  
He was 23 years of age, and lived life as a farmer. Though he was not in the army, he had learned  
  
swordsmanship from his father, who was a veteran soldier. His father took pride in his  
  
profession, as he had been a soldier in the Han army for 6 years before he was disbanded with the  
  
rest of the army. Zhang Ce had always wanted to fight in the army, but never had the chance,  
  
since there had been peace for many years.  
  
This peace, however, would not last long, as one man had the power to change it  
  
whenever he felt like it. He had the power to bring peace in the country to an end. One man's  
  
greed was enough to start a war that would take thousands of lives. This man was Dong Zhuo,  
  
liege of the central plains. He had a tremendous amount of power at his command, but was  
  
considered a tyrant by all of the other lords. His power was determined by his officers, as well as  
  
the amount of soldiers in his army. He had amassed a force five times that of most other lords.   
  
He was about to use this excessive power to use.  
  
"What!?" exclaimed Zhang Ce.  
  
"It says right here," his friend, Ma Yuan, points to a sentence on a poster as he reads,  
  
"Look, 'Dong Zhuo, prefect of Luo Yang, has waged war on Ding Yuan, governor of Shang  
  
Dang. The invasion is unjust and is going to be dealt with by those who have formed a coalition  
  
against the tyrant.' you see? We're at war!"  
  
"Nah, we aren't, I would hope so, but we're too far away."  
  
"Too far away? The central plains can't be that far away, can it?"  
  
"Can't it?" Zhang Ce points at the map next to the poster, "Why don't you go up there  
  
and tell me what it's like? It's only about 3000 leagues." Zhang Ce laughed as he took another  
  
gulp out of his drink.  
  
Dong Zhuo had invaded Shang Dang, a province directly north of Luo Yang. He greatly  
  
outnumbered Ding Yuan's troops, who was the governor of Shang Dang. However, many lords  
  
saw Ding Yuan as a good man, and a great ruler, and went to his aid. Posters went up all across  
  
China, saying that many lords had formed an alliance against Dong Zhuo. They were true, too, as  
  
over a dozen different provinces formed an anti-Dong Zhuo coalition. Some of these lords were  
  
Cao Cao, prefect of Chen Liu, Yuan Shao, governor of Bo Hai and Ping Yuan, Liu Bei, prefect of  
  
Xiao Pei, Gongsun Zan, governor of the Northern provinces, Yuan Shu, prefect of Ru Nan, Ma  
  
Teng, governor of the Northwestern provinces, and Sun Jian, prefect of Chang Sha, all of which  
  
were very powerful men and had already sent troops to defend Shang Dang, and to invade Luo  
  
Yang. Jiang Liang's prefect, however, was not involved in this, as he felt that his people weren't  
  
ready for a war. He was right, too, as the troops were mostly peasants who had little, if any,  
  
training in combat.  
  
Zhang Ce greatly disliked this and, even for a little time, considered moving to Shang  
  
Dang. But only for a little while. His parents greatly disagreed with him, so he dropped the idea  
  
as soon as he brought it up. Despite this, Zhang Ce would continue to train whenever he had free  
  
time, as he was determined that one day, he could prove his skills to the people.  
  
The heavily cloaked man had stopped at an Inn in the heart of Luo Yang. He was on a  
  
journey to find someone, but thought he could take a break in the city. In a tavern directly across  
  
from the Inn, he was drinking a glass of wine, still wearing many rags covering him completely.   
  
He was going over his thoughts when something happened that made him change his mind of  
  
keeping a low profile.  
  
"Come on sweetie, just a kiss!" a ruffian said as he pulled a waitress by the arm closer to  
  
him. This was a common situation for the time, as taverns had no security. The waitress  
  
screamed, "No!" as she tried to pull herself free from the man's grip. "Oh come, what harm could  
  
it do?" he said as he grabbed the back of her head and pulled the waitress directly into him. But  
  
he didn't feel her lips, instead he heard a quick shuffle of feet, then a sharp pain in his face. He  
  
opened his eyes to see a man holding the waitress' hand, both of them were standing on the wall.   
  
He only after a few seconds realized that the two weren't on the wall, but he was on the ground,  
  
and had been punched so hard by the still-cloaked man, that he didn't know what hit him.  
  
"Wha-What the hell is your problem?" the ruffian said, as two of his friends helped him to  
  
his feet.  
  
The man didn't answer at first, instead paying attention to the waitress. "Are you okay?"  
  
The ruffian looked at the man with anger in his eyes and slowly approached him, cracking his  
  
knuckles. "I'll teach you to mess with me!" With these words, the ruffian threw a punch at the  
  
man. However, just when it was about to hit him, the man ducked, grabbed the ruffian's leg, and  
  
flipped him over onto the ground. As the ruffian grabbed the back of his head, he yelled up at the  
  
man, "You damn fool, I'll teach you."  
  
However at that moment, at quick flash blinded everyone as the sunlight's reflection from  
  
a sword lit up the room. When the temporary blindness went away, the ruffian could not get up.   
  
Actually he could've but knew it was better for his health to stay down, as the tip of a sword was  
  
pointing directly at his throat. If he merely swallowed, it would cut his neck. The cloaked man  
  
didn't even look at him though, despite the fact that he was the holding the sword. "I think  
  
you've had enough to drink for today, why don't you go back to whatever you do, ok?" he said  
  
looking at the ruffian's two friends.  
  
The two men slowly nodded, so the cloaked man brought his sword back up, allowing the  
  
three to leave. Several people were surprised by the man's actions, as no had ever helped  
  
someone they didn't know before. Before anyone else said anything, the man left the building,  
  
sheathing his sword. He headed for the city's HQ.  
  
In the city of Luo Yang, distrust was greatly sweeping through the citizens, as they  
  
thought that they were going to be punished for Dong Zhuo's actions. Things were getting tense,  
  
as reports of a massive army formed by the coalition was heading for Luo Yang. This  
  
opportunity, however, was not about to slip from Zhang Ce's grasp. He immediately set out for  
  
the main camp of the coalition with a few others who also wished to help the Allies.  
  
"Okay, let's see, it says on this map, that we have to go that way!" Ce said pointing in a  
  
direction that actually was southeast.  
  
"Wait-Wait!"one of the others said, grabbing the map from Zhang Ce's grip. "Right here!  
  
Look, if that way is where we came from, then this way leads to Luo Yang," he pointed directly  
  
north. This boy seemed to know what he was talking about, but Ce didn't even know his name.   
  
"See? Here's Chang Sha, and there is Luo Yang."  
  
"Umm, yes I guess that makes more sense. Say, what's your name kid?" Ce asked.  
  
The boy hesitated, he was 16 years of age, though by his looks he had the skills of a  
  
veteran soldier. "My name is Xiu Luo."  
  
"Xiu Luo, huh? Well then, why don't you be our tactician?"  
  
"Tactician, what are you planning on doing?"  
  
"Well, if everything goes as planned," Ma Yuan answered, "We should be recruiting as  
  
many people as we can as we pass through the many villages on our way to Luo Yang. It is  
  
worth a shot, at least we'll be taken seriously."  
  
And as it turned out, they weren't the only ones wanting to help their country. On their  
  
way north, about 100 people joined them. These people were only farmers and peasants, but they  
  
had their own weapons and seemed anxious to get to battle, which would be enough to make an  
  
impact. As Zhang Ce, Xiu Luo and another warrior that had joined them by the name of Lu Xian,  
  
approached the main camp of the allies, they got nervous. All of the guards were wearing heavy  
  
armor and carrying these massive weapons. They were not allowed into the planning tent, as the  
  
main commanders were there, planning a strategy for this war.  
  
"Oh come on, let us in! We have lots of people here who want to fight alongside your  
  
troops!" Lu Xian shouted at one of the guards. Lu was a very tall and strong man for his age,  
  
though his mind was not near as mature."  
  
"I'm sorry but we just can't. Wait until after the meeting, then one of them might listen to  
  
you." The guards refused to let them in, and one of Yuan Shao's officers who was not attending  
  
the battle plan, noticed this. He walked up to the three.  
  
"Excuse me, but are you planning on fighting in the upcoming battle?" the officer asked.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know." Lu Xian responded angrily.  
  
"Actually I would. You see, I know the Grand Commander of the Coalition in there.   
  
He's a relative of mine. I can tell him of your volunteer army, and I'm sure he'll think of some  
  
way to get your troops involved. My name is Yuan Chu."  
  
And so they agreed. Yuan Chu told Yuan Shao of the volunteer army, and Shao thought  
  
of a plan. They planned on attacking Si Shui Gate, and wanted Ce's army, among many others, to  
  
search and seize the enemy's supply depot. Happy that they finally had something to do, Ce's  
  
army set out for the gate, along with the Allied Forces.  
  
Back in Luo Yang.......  
  
"Fine, Fine, I suppose we could use all the troops we need. Just tell me your name and Ill  
  
give you a post as soon as possible."  
  
"My name.......my name is He Ci Ke."  
  
"He Ci Ke? Very well, Alright you go with Hua Xiong's unit." After writing something  
  
down Li Ru looked up at the cloaked man, "He Ci Ke? Oh well........" And so the cloaked man  
  
known as He Ci Ke joined Hua Xiong's army as they marched to defend Si Shui Gate. On the  
  
way there, He Ci Ke was approached by a man who looked like a diplomat of some sort. "So,  
  
you're that mysterious fellow that man was mentioning earlier."  
  
"Hmm? Who?" He Ci Ke said.  
  
"You of course! Who else could I be talking to? Anyway a soldier I talked to a little  
  
earlier mentioned of a "Dark" man who almost killed him for no reason. I saw you talking to Li  
  
Ru and so I thought you would happen to be that man. I understand that dark part, but you  
  
probably didn't attack him for no reason, right?"  
  
"He was disturbing the peace, I had to shut up him up somehow without being arrested."  
  
"Heh, yea that makes enough sense. Anyway, my name is Kel Wei, what's your name?"  
  
he stuck out his hand. Viewing Kel Wei to be a man of little importance, he answered,   
  
"Otori Takeo, I'm from the land across the sea known as Japan." He shook Kel Wei's  
  
hand. He saw what appeared to be a fort in the distance. "Well, we're here." 


	2. Truth and Betrayal

Chapter 2; Truth and Betrayal  
  
As they waited behind Si Shui gate, Otori Takeo seemed to be calm, while Kel Wei was  
  
showing heavy signs of nervousness. "Why are you so nervous?"  
  
"Me? Well...I....I just haven't seen any battles in my lifetime. I spend more of my time in  
  
cities, helping out citizens and the government," Kel Wei answered.  
  
"Then why the hell are you out here? You didn't look like a soldier at first to me."  
  
"Well....To be honest, recently I have been having doubts of Dong Zhuo's abilities. I did  
  
not think I belonged there anymore, so I came out here, hoping that in the middle of this battle, I  
  
can run for my life, without being pursued by Dong Zhuo," Kel Wei said in a whisper.  
  
Otori Takeo smirked as he said, "Why are you telling me this, huh?" Kel Wei's face went  
  
pale.  
  
"No, please don't tell anyone! I beg of you do not tell anyone! I thought we trusted each  
  
other by now!" Kel Wei yelled, getting some other soldier's attentions.  
  
"I was just kidding, ok?" Takeo quickly said, trying to quiet Wei down. "What would I  
  
have to gain from telling them, anyway? All I would get is a 'then why didn't you cut him down'  
  
then I'd be killed." As he spoke this, the captain of their unit was eavesdropping on their  
  
conversation. "Besides, I got a friend on the other side that I plan on joining. I probably could  
  
get you safely onto the Allied Forces' side."  
  
"Umm, how? When we are in the midst of battle, the enemies will just charge right at us,  
  
we can't just talk to them when they're like that." Otori thought a bit, then came up with a simple  
  
plan.   
  
"We could just stay at the back of the unit, that way, we wont have to face combat, and if  
  
the unit retreats, we can walk up to them, saying we surrender. I'm sure my buddy can get us out  
  
of it from there."  
  
"You sure? What if he leads us on a suicide mission and our whole unit is wiped out  
  
except us! They'd just keep attacking if that happened!"  
  
"Calm down, Calm down." Otori Takeo closed his eyes to think. However, at that  
  
moment, the captain of the unit, along with 4 guards came up to the two men, weapons drawn.  
  
The captain looked at the both of them and yelled, "You two! What are you talking  
  
about?" The guards surrounded the men as the captain spoke. "Are you two spies for the  
  
coalition? Answer Me!" he yelled, taking out his spear and appearing to attack Otori Takeo by  
  
stabbing him through the neck, but he stopped as soon as the tip of the spear was an inch from  
  
Takeo's neck. Although Kel Wei fell backwards from it, Takeo stayed perfectly still, showing no  
  
fear.  
  
"We are not spies, captain, I myself joined this unit a few weeks ago." Otori answered,  
  
calmly. His arms were extended outwards, showing that he had no intention of fighting back  
  
against a comrade.  
  
"I don't believe you, You must be spies for Dong Zhuo then!" the captain yelled.  
  
"No! I tell you, we are not-........spies for Dong Zhuo?" Kel Wei said with confusion.   
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I was overhearing what you were saying earlier," the captain spoke in a suddenly much  
  
calmer voice. "You plan to betray Hua Xiong in the middle of the battle, correct?" Neither  
  
answered. "I've spoken to each and every soldier in this unit, and by the looks of it, the rear is  
  
going to be the first part that sees combat." He lifted his weapon so it rested on his shoulder.  
  
"Keep that in mind." Saying this, the captain returned to the front of the unit with the guards.  
  
Completely perplexed, Takeo spoke, "That just raises two more questions, what the hell  
  
did he mean, and why the hell are we still alive?" He looked to Kel Wei for an answer.  
  
Slightly, Kel Wei smiled as he got up, "Maybe we aren't the only ones who think Dong  
  
Zhuo is a tyrant."  
  
As soon as he spoke these words, the massive gates of Si Shui opened, and the general of  
  
the army, Hua Xiong, rode out. As the gate closed, everyone started whispering rumors about  
  
what was going on. Over the course of this, Takeo overheard one of the guards speaking to the  
  
captain, "But Lord Liu, what if they fire on you?"  
  
"Do not worry about it, trust me, by the end of today, you'll all be alive."  
  
Otori thought to himself, "Liu? Lord Liu Drew? Yea, that is him." He had read  
  
somewhere in the city of a Liu Drew who had been extremely loyal to the government until Dong  
  
Zhuo seized power. Ever since, he had been complaining and criticizing Dong Zhuo. However,  
  
knowing him to be a good general, Dong Zhuo did nothing to Liu Drew. By the looks of it now,  
  
Takeo thought, "He's going to regret not doing anything."  
  
Soon after, the gates reopened and Hua Xiong came riding back in, carrying the heads of  
  
two general of the other army. Many people were cheering for their superior leader as he  
  
announced how he defeated two enemy generals in a duel.  
  
"Damn It!" Yuan Shao yelled as he jammed a knife into the table at the meeting hall back  
  
in the coalition's main camp. "Is there no one here, that can defeat Hua Xiong?"  
  
Yuan Chu stepped up, "Actually, my lord, I think I know of someone how might be able  
  
to compete on fair grounds with Hua Xiong."  
  
"Who? I do not think you are referring to those peasants you told me of earlier. They  
  
could not pose a match for Hua Xiong, nor are they even capable of being soldiers." Yuan Chu  
  
remained silent as Yuan Shao gave his response. "I do not wish to send farmers to their deaths for  
  
no reason."   
  
After sighing, one of the people behind Liu Bei spoke out. "I'll deal with Hua Xiong."  
  
Everyone looked at the man.  
  
"You, take out Hua Xiong?," Han Fu asked. "Who are you anyways?"  
  
"Just pour me some tea, I will be back while it's still warm." The mystery man walked out  
  
of the tent, and rode out of the walls of the camp. After a few minutes, Liu Bei poured some tea  
  
into a small glass.   
  
"He should be back soon."  
  
"When are they going to let us fight?" Lu Xian as he paced back and forth next to their  
  
camp. It was dark, but the sun should have risen if not for the hills. The sky was a twilight.  
  
"Why don't we just start looking for that supply camp now? You know, to make the job  
  
of the generals a little easier." Zhang Ce said, crossing his arms. "I'm sure it would have to be  
  
somewhere near the gate.."  
  
"Of course, but we do not wish to act now," Xiu Luo explained. "We might encounter  
  
patrols, and that wouldn't end well. When we find the supply camp, we wouldn't be able to take  
  
over anyways, they probably have plenty of guards there."  
  
As Xiu Luo spoke this, a horse rode right by them, and riding the horse, was.......  
  
"How did you?"  
  
"That's his head!"  
  
"Who are you?" many of the commanders spoke in astonishment, as the man presented  
  
Hua Xiong's head.  
  
"My name is Guan Yu, sworn brother of Liu Bei," the man said as he picked up the glass  
  
and drank from it. "As I killed Hua Xiong, though, the gates of Si Shui gate opened, and by the  
  
looks of it, they are going to try to push us back." The generals, still amazed by the man's  
  
achievement, discussed what to do next.  
  
"We should strike them, trust me, my army can easily take them out," Sun Jian of Chang  
  
Sha said. "Give me the command and I will drive them back through Si Shui gate."  
  
Yuan Shao pondered a bit, then responded, "Si Shui Gate is a difficult target to attack, it  
  
will take you much time to succeed. However, I am confident of your abilities. Sun Jian, you  
  
attack the enemies in front of the gate." Turning to Yuan Shu, "Yuan Shu, you get supplies ready  
  
for transport in case the battle takes longer than expected." Reluctantly, Yuan Shu nodded. Both  
  
men and Yuan Shu left the tent, while the other commanders stayed. As he was walking back,  
  
Yuan Chu spoke to Zhang Ce.  
  
"Listen, Lord Sun Jian is going to engage Dong Zhuo's forces in front of Si Shui Gate.   
  
By the looks of it, that battle will last many days, which led Yuan Shao to give the order of  
  
sending extra supplies after a few days. Unfortunately, he gave his brother the task. Yuan Shu  
  
wants the glory, himself, and I do not trust him with the little task he has."  
  
"And what do you want us to do?"  
  
Yuan Chu explained in thorough, "Remember you Yuan Shao said he eventually wanted  
  
you to eliminate the enemy supply depot? Well, go and find it, and do your best to control it while  
  
keeping the supplies intact. That way, you can send them to Sun Jian so he can continue the  
  
fight." Hearing this, Zhang Ce told his comrades of the plan. The next day they set out to find  
  
their target.  
  
"But Lord Liu Wei, where are you going?" A servant asked a man wearing armor,  
  
brandishing his spear. "You're not planning on fighting, are you? You know your parents would  
  
disagree!"  
  
Liu Wei didn't stop walking towards his steed. "I know my parents wouldn't like my  
  
doing this, but I have to. I can't just let people die because of other's arguments! Father told me  
  
that before he was murdered, I can't just let it go by. Yuan Shu must at least pay for his actions!"  
  
Liu Wei mounted his horse and rode off in the direction of Luo Yang.  
  
As they were marching out of the gate, Liu Drew was telling Kel Wei and Otori Takeo his  
  
plan. "Before we are close enough to attack, I will ride out to meet someone of the enemy force  
  
and tell them that we surrender and wish to fight on their side. Unless they are running at us, then  
  
it should work. Perhaps we can give you over to them at that point, too, so you never see  
  
combat."  
  
"No. Thank you, but I would rather be among many if that happens, they might not trust  
  
me. I'll survive in the battlefield."  
  
And so it happened as planned, Liu Drew told Cheng Pu that they surrendered and wished  
  
to fight for the Allied Forces. Immediately, A unit led by Huang Gai attacked the enemy forces  
  
from the front, while Liu Drew attacked from the back. The enemy almost immediately was  
  
forced to scatter and retreat back through the gate. Liu Drew's unit went into Sun Jian's camp,  
  
now as members of the Coalition. However, this massive increase of troops brought supplies  
  
short, and so Sun Jian sent out the report for more food.  
  
Back at the camp, Yuan Shu sat alone in his tent, "Even if I send supplies, the glory will  
  
be all Sun Jian's." A soldier entered the tent,  
  
"What are your orders sir?"  
  
"Do not send the convoy out yet, keep them ready, though." as Yuan Shu spoke these  
  
words, though, someone else entered the tent.  
  
"Lord Yuan Shu, why must you seek the glory in a battle that's for the Han?" Yuan Chu  
  
demanded. "You are going to starve and kill people for your own good? This isn't the first time,  
  
either, you have ordered your troops to pillage villages whenever you ran short on supplies.   
  
Don't you have any shame for your actions."  
  
"Why do you criticize me now?"  
  
"Because for all we know, Sun Jian might be killed along with all of his troops. With that  
  
incredible victory, they'll use the momentum to march on top of us! You might be the death of all  
  
of us."  
  
"How hard is it to find a supply depot, I mean they aren't exactly small." Lu Xian yelled as  
  
he and Xiu Luo along with 50 others were searching for the enemy's camp.  
  
"They are good at hiding it. After all, if it was easy to find, it wouldn't make it a very  
  
good place for a supply camp." They had split up with Zhang Ce to cover more ground. Ce  
  
wasn't having much luck either.  
  
"Maybe they would keep it behind the gate, to protect it from harm?" Ma Yuan asked  
  
him. The troops were getting tired.  
  
"I don't think so, then it would take too long if they wanted to invade the main camp.   
  
Perhaps they-" Ce stopped as a horseman that had been riding right at them, stopped. "Who are  
  
you?"  
  
"My name is Liu Wei, of Ru Nan, are you part of the allied forces?"  
  
Thinking of this person as an ally at first, Zhang Ce said, "Yes, we are volunteers seeking  
  
out he enemy's supply-" this time he was cut off, as the rider charged right at him. Involuntarily,  
  
he quickly leaned sideways to fall off his horse to avoid the blow. Getting back to his feet, Zhang  
  
Ce took out his weapon. "What the hell are you doing? Are you one of them?"  
  
"You 'Allies' say you're fighting for the people of Luo Yang, but you leech off of  
  
everyone else!" Liu Wei yelled as he charged back at Zhang Ce. "I'll teach you bastards!" 


	3. Death Awaits at the Gate

This chapter starts to change from what really happened majorly.  
  
Chapter 3; Death Awaits at the Gate  
  
The rider known as Liu Wei once again charged at Zhang Ce, spear in hand. His  
  
intentions were clear, he wanted someone to pay for the Allies' actions. Zhang Ce rolled out of  
  
the way this time, quickly regaining his feet. Stopping to turn around, Liu Wei was shot by one of  
  
the soldiers' arrow. The arrow connected at the shoulder and knocked Wei off his horse. Trying  
  
to get up, he pulled the arrow out of his left shoulder. The same soldier prepared another arrow  
  
and shot, this time, though, missing as Liu Wei dodged it in time. Ce readied his sword to defend  
  
himself.  
  
Wei ran at him spear in front. Ce stepped out of the way at the last moment, causing him  
  
to lost balance and trip over him. He quickly jabbed down, aiming for Liu's head, but he rolled  
  
out of the way just in time, causing Ce's blade to get stuck in the ground. Wei, still on the  
  
ground, thrusted his spear into Ce'side, immediately causing him to fall on the ground. At this  
  
moment, Ma Yuan ran at Wei with his own sword. He jumped and slashed downward at him.   
  
Wei, only just gaining his feet turned around only to get his spear cut through the center by Ma  
  
Yuan. The sword also hit Wei's face, causing a cut from his left eyebrow to the right side of his  
  
face. He fell to the ground, grunting, due to the pain and grabbed his face which was already  
  
heavily bleeding. Ma placed the tip of his sword and Liu's neck, ready to slit his throat in revenge  
  
for what he did to Zhang Ce, but stopped and walked over to aid his friend. "Ce! Zhang are you  
  
alright? Zhang!"  
  
Ce, blood coming out of the gash and his mouth, was in great pain but said nothing.   
  
Several soldiers came over to him, too, to see if they could help in anyway. Wei quickly  
  
surrendered and was arrested by a few soldiers. Ce, despite what others said, struggled to his feet  
  
using only his legs. And limped over to one of the soldier's horses, which he mounted. "B-Bring  
  
me b-back to the camp, mayb-be someone there can help me," he spat blood as he spoke. Ma  
  
Yuan ran over to the horse, got on, and told the rest of the soldiers to continue their search. He,  
  
with an unconscious Zhang Ce behind him, rode hastily, but steadily back to the main camp.  
  
"What a great first day."  
  
"Nice way to die, huh? Starving after you decide to change sides," Kel Wei joked, neither  
  
him nor most other people had anything to eat for 2 days now, and tempers were running short.  
  
"Maybe we were better off over there."  
  
Otori Takeo, though normally didn't show many feelings, seemed angry at Kel Wei for  
  
saying that, even if it was a joke. "Don't say that! Don't! I would rather starve than live with him  
  
as my leader."  
  
Liu Drew, though, didn't seem to mind this famine. Strong-willed and physically strong,  
  
he felt nothing bad out of it, and easily pretended that it wasn't even a problem. He did offer Sun  
  
Jian advice, though. "Maybe we should attack Si Shui Gate now, my lord, if we well the troops  
  
that the enemy has plenty of supplies on the other side, it'll give them a reason to fight."  
  
Sun Jian, though calm, rejected his words, "I believe we should wait for the supplies to  
  
arrive, they should be here any hour now. The men will have more energy and can fight harder."  
  
Unfortunately, no supplies were coming from the main camp. Nor were there supplies  
  
from the enemy's supply camp.  
  
"There! Right there, I see it Xiu Luo," Lu Xian yelled as he spotted a camp as they went  
  
over a mountain. The camp was surrounded by mountains, with a stone wall protecting it from  
  
the east.........  
  
"Where? That? No, it can't be, there aren't any granaries in it."  
  
"So? It's an enemy camp regardless, let's attack!"  
  
"Wait! There are only around 50 of us and how many of them, we can't beat them with  
  
this army!"  
  
"Yes we can, numbers never matter, it's the strength of the soldier's that count, right?"  
  
One of the other soldiers spoke out, "None." Xiu Luo and Lu Xian turned around.  
  
"Whadya mean?" Lu asked.  
  
"Look, the camp is deserted," the soldier responded. And it was. All of the tents were left  
  
up, but there was no sign of movement other than the wind blowing some of the objects in it.   
  
"There might be supplies in it," he said hungrily.  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lu Xian started downward toward it, all of the soldiers  
  
followed. Xiu Luo stayed still, though, thinking.  
  
"Why would an enemy camp that's well defended and so massive be deserted?" He  
  
looked at the camp from the high view for a few minutes, than looked at the stone wall on the  
  
east side. "Wait, that's the-"  
  
Zhang Ce coughed out blood, as one of the medics did everything they could to stop the  
  
bleeding. His wound, however, was too deep, and needed help from an expert doctor in order to  
  
survive. "All I know is that he will die eventually, but has much time before then. Even if it is  
  
spent in pain," one of the medics said as he left the tent. Ma Yuan and Yuan Chu sat next to him.  
  
"I am sorry, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have told you what to do," Yuan Chu said,  
  
hoping Ma Yuan would forgive him.  
  
"It is not your fault, Chu, it's his fault," Yuan said, referring to Liu Wei. "Damn him, he  
  
takes out his anger on people who he didn't even really have a grudge against. I should have  
  
killed him back there."  
  
"Maybe I can somehow make up for this, anyway. I believe I know the name of a really  
  
good doctor. I'll get him, you make sure Ce stays alive." Yuan Chu got up and left the tent and  
  
then the camp. Ma Yuan stayed at Ce's side as his condition kept getting worse.  
  
"The-The gates are opening, they're going to attack us!" one of the soldiers yelled out as  
  
many started panicking. Sun Jian, along with Cheng Pu looked out towards the enemy army. It  
  
didn't seem that large, in fact, it barely even seemed like an army as most of the men were  
  
wearing poorly made armor and weapons which they weren't even holding. And most of the  
  
men, was almost all of them, as the army was only about 50 strong.  
  
"Those troops weren't with us when we were back there," Liu Drew told Sun Jian. And  
  
they weren't as the troops running towards the camp, were the volunteers led Xiu Luo and Lu  
  
Xian. Lu Xian, riding a horse that he found in the enemy camp, rode up to Sun's tent.  
  
"Hey! The gate was deserted, there aren't any enemies, they must have fled."  
  
This news quickly reached the main camp, and Yuan Shao along with the rest of the  
  
leaders, marched their troops through Si Shui Gate and headed for Hu Lao Gate, the  
  
indestructible gate. They set their main camp with natural defenses of mountains. Sun Jian's  
  
army, along with Liu Drew's, combined with the main force, solving the food problem. Shortly  
  
after, the troops that were searching with Ce, ran into the main camp with news that they found  
  
the enemy supply depot. The supplies from the enemy was brought into the main camp,  
  
increasing supplies and morale. Xiu Luo went up to one of the soldiers and asked him, "Hey,  
  
where's Zhang Ce." The soldier didn't say anything, but put his head down and pointed towards  
  
one of the tents. "Oh shit..........."  
  
Back in Luo Yang, an angry monster was yelling at his servants. "What?!? How could Si  
  
Shui Gate fall? How could you let this happen Hua Xiong? Hua Xiong? Hua Xiong!"  
  
Li Ru spoke up, trying to get Dong Zhuo to stop his tantrum. "My lord, Hua Xiong fell  
  
defending Si Shui Gate. We lost because of Lord Liu Drew betraying us in the middle of the  
  
battle."  
  
"Liu Drew?!? Damn it! I told you we should have killed him!"  
  
"But sir, you sa-"  
  
"I SAID WE SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM!"  
  
"......Yes sir......."  
  
"Where is my son? Lu Bu! Get in here!"  
  
This time, however, Wang Yun spoke, "Dong Zhuo, Lord Lu Bu is visiting D-...a friend  
  
of his, if you would tell me to get him, I will certainly retrieve him for you."  
  
"Yes, Yes! Get him at once!" Dong Zhuo roared. Wang Yun bowed and left the throne  
  
room, but not the palace. Instead he went to the palace gardens, where Lu Bu and Diao Chan  
  
were talking to each other.  
  
"Lu Bu, your Dong Zhuo is calling you. Chan, please hurry back to your duties before he  
  
sees you two together. It wouldn't end well if that happened," Wang said fast. Diao Chan  
  
immediately went back to the palace through the way Wang came in. After a few minutes, Lu Bu  
  
came in as well, muttering,   
  
"What does he want now?" As Lu Bu walked into the throne room, he heard one of the  
  
servants speaking to Zhuo.  
  
"What are your orders, my lord, the alliance is approaching Luo Yang."  
  
Dong yelled as Lu Bu entered, "My son shall take care of all of them! He can kill them  
  
with ease! Let them come inside the city so they can't escape then cut them all down!" Lu Bu  
  
had no rejections to this, even if he disliked his father. He had wanted to get into battle to show  
  
his might to the world.  
  
Li Ru, his advisor, thought about this plan. It was obviously absurd, but the idea of letting  
  
Lu Bu engage the enemies might be the only way. "My lord, I have an idea. Why don't we have  
  
Lu Bu guard behind the gate, while all the available soldiers fire and enemies as they break  
  
through Hu Lao Gate. By the time the enemy breaks through, they'll be demoralized and worn  
  
out, that way Lu Bu will have no problem eliminating every single one of them."  
  
Dong liked this plan and told everyone to initiate it. All available soldiers were given  
  
bows and arrows and lined the top of the gate, ready to fire down at enemies. Lu Bu, along with  
  
Li Jue, one of Dong Zhuo's advisors, and Zhang Liao, one of Lu Bu's most trusted officers,  
  
stayed behind barricades which were set up behind the gate. Unaware of these enemy tactics, the  
  
Allied Commanders planned a frontal assault, with Cao Cao leading.  
  
"Cao Cao will attack from the front gate, while Liu Bei, Gongsun Zan, Han Fu, and Yuan  
  
Shu go through Wan to attack from the South. All other forces will provide Cao Cao with  
  
backup." As Yuan Shao gave this order, Xiu Luo was listening, but not Lu Xian, as he was  
  
entertaining himself by his own means.  
  
"How does it feel to have your insides beaten around?" he yelled as he kicked Liu Wei in  
  
the stomach again. "You like that?"Liu Wei could not defend himself with his hands and feet tied  
  
together, all he could do was take the beating. "So why again did you attack him?" he yelled,  
  
grabbing Liu Wei's hair and pulling on it. Liu Wei did not answer, not that he couldn't, but  
  
because he had no reason to answer to a man who wouldn't even listen to it. "Don't worry, your  
  
pain will end soon." Lu Xian picked up his halberd, lined it up with Wei's head. As he was about  
  
to kill Liu Wei, though, Kel Wei ran up to him, catching the halberd by the handle.  
  
"D-Don't kill him!" Kel Wei said, pulling the halberd out of Lu Xian's hands. "He wasn't  
  
part of Dong Zhuo's army, he's not an enemy."  
  
"Say that again! He's not an enemy!" Lu Xian yelled sarcastically loud enough for the  
  
whole camp to hear, though most did not pay attention to it. "He probably killed a friend of mine,  
  
and he's not going to be able to do it again." Lu Xian shoved Kel Wei down, getting his Halberd  
  
back. "I don't trust you at all. Don't give me a reason to kill you." He walked away from the two  
  
men, as many soldiers had started gathering around to see what was going on.  
  
After a few seconds, Kel went over to Liu. "Hey, are you alright?"  
  
Obviously holding in pain, Liu Wei spat out, "The allies are worse enough, I don't need  
  
help from one of the tyrant's people."  
  
"You see, that's why I'm on this side now, because I didn't belong over there. I am one  
  
of the few who actually decided to change sides even though everyone wanted to." Liu had no  
  
serious injuries, but Kel helped him to his feet and into a his tent, where Takeo was practicing his  
  
swordsmanship.  
  
"I said I didn't need your help....." Liu couldn't prevent being helped, though, due to the  
  
restraints. Kel Wei put him in a chair, and cut his restraints. Confused, Liu Wei asked, "What are  
  
you doing?"  
  
"I can trust you, right? You hate the Allied forces for a reason, if you really want revenge,  
  
go on out and get it. I'm not one to stop you."  
  
On the front line, Cao Cao was readying for the upcoming battle. Hu Lao Gate was the  
  
largest and best gate in the entire country, Cao Cao himself was one of it's repairers back when he  
  
served Dong Zhuo. Now, he was about to attempt to bring the structure down. He wasn't alone,  
  
though, as he had the help from his two brothers, Cao Ren and Cao Hong, plus two blood  
  
relatives, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan. The secondary force led by Sun Jian was closing in on  
  
the southern gate of Luo Yang, which was smaller, but still was a great defensive structure. With  
  
him, were his 3 greatest generals, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang. Behind them, was an  
  
even greater trio. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were bringing up the rear of the army. These  
  
oath brothers would stop at nothing to bring down the tyrant Dong Zhuo. 


	4. The Capital, Devastated

Chapter 4: The Capital Devastated  
  
The city was in turmoil as news of the Allied invasion reached the ears of the citizens. A  
  
group of these people, though, were calm, and were plotting something. These people were  
  
known as the Han Brotherhood. They were Han loyalists, led by Mao Zi Long, a natural leader  
  
and warrior, and were about to change the course of a battle.  
  
Discovering of the Allied Force approaching from the south, Li Ru ordered half of the  
  
soldiers from the Hu Lao Gate to reposition to defend the southern gate. Since it was smaller  
  
though, archers could not be positioned on the top of the structure. Instead, they lined up behind  
  
the gate. Li Ru planned to launch a volley at the enemy force when the break through, then have  
  
the soldiers attack using melee weapons.  
  
Lu Bu, eager for battle, paced back and forth and his steed, The Red Hare. This horse  
  
was the fastest known to exist at the time, and was at a height which matched it's speed. It was  
  
as tall as it's owner Lu Bu, who was a giant himself.   
  
Cao Cao ordered for the attack to begin. Arrows, lit on fire, were shot at the gate's upper  
  
level, in hope that they would catch something on fire. Xiahou Yuan, an expert archer, shot at the  
  
enemy soldiers themself, not wasting a single arrow he shot. 5 siege towers and 2 rams were  
  
rushed to the front of the gate. Many soldiers who were manning the rams, were getting killed by  
  
the enemies' arrows from above. Immediately, though more soldiers took their place. Of the 5  
  
siege towers, only 2 made it, as the other three fell apart to enemy firearrows. On one of the two  
  
Siege towers, though, was Cao Ren and Cao Hong. When the siege tower reached the Gate, and  
  
unloaded the soldiers in it onto the top of the gate, the two Cao's came out to attack the enemy  
  
soldiers. There was not a single soldier that could defeat either one of the two, as they ravaged  
  
enemy forces along with 15 other men. With the enemy archers defeated, the rams easily started  
  
pounding at the gate, attempting to break it open. That was one problem solved.  
  
On the Southern Gate, the rams were already breaking down the gate. Sun Jian, with  
  
Huang Gai at his side, was about to charge directly into enemy lines when the gate broke down.   
  
Unbeknownst to him at the time, though, he was about to ride into fate. When the gate shattered,  
  
he charged on his steed, straight forward toward the enemy forces ready to attack. Before he  
  
could, however, Li Ru said, "Fire!". A volley of arrows was shot directly at the charging force,  
  
with him at the front. 4 arrows immediately punctured Jian's armor, two at the chest, one in his  
  
left shoulder, and one in his right leg. Knowing his death was imminent, though, Jian made a final  
  
attempt to do damage, and continued to ride at them. Seeing the enemy general coming toward  
  
him, though, Li Ru put an arrow on his Longbow and shot it at close range. His aim was true,  
  
and the arrow went right through Sun Jian's eye and out the back of his skull, killing him  
  
instantly. Half of the charging force was killed instantly, and, with their leader dead, the rest ran  
  
for their lives, among them Huang Gai, who carried his Lord's body as they fled. The charge had  
  
failed horribly with nothing gained, but almost everything lost. They had not anticipated so many  
  
archers to be stationed at the southern gate, and payed for it.  
  
Back behind the gate, Sun Jian's remaining troops sorrowed for the loss of their leader.   
  
However, the three brothers felt this only as something to make their victory more important.   
  
"Listen my people, should Sun Jian's death, be in vain? Or should we avenge him and take out  
  
Dong Zhuo!" he yelled. Extremely loyal to him, Liu Bei's troops got ready for another charge,  
  
this time, though, they had a plan.  
  
Guan Yu, the oldest of the three brothers, thought up this plan, and explained it to  
  
everyone. "Us three will ride through the gate first to attract all enemy fire. After you hear the  
  
enemies fire, you charge out and attack them before they reload. That way you can catch them  
  
without weapons, also."  
  
One of the soldiers protested, "But that would kill you three!"  
  
"Is the lives of three men equal to the millions of lives in this country?" Liu Bei shouted.  
  
"Everyone in their life must make sacrifices."  
  
"This is ours," Zhang Fei yelled and the three rode of through the gate. Seeing three  
  
enemy generals, many of Li Ru's troops readied their arrows to fire, but Li Ru immediately  
  
ordered them not to fire.  
  
"Do not attack them, target the main force." Li Ru had seen through their plan. He  
  
stepped forward of his troops, put another arrow in his longbow, and shot it directly at Liu Bei.   
  
Guan Yu was not about to let his brother die and swung his spear around, deflecting the arrow at  
  
the tip away from Liu Bei and onto the ground.  
  
However, hearing the sound of an arrow being fired, Liu Bei's troops charged out of the  
  
gate, despite Liu Bei yelling at them not to. Li Ru, smiling, ordered his troops to fire at their  
  
target. He thought he heard the sound of hundreds of arrows being shot at first, but only saw a  
  
handful of arrows go by him. Turning around, a pain emerged in Li Ru's arm, as an arrow flew  
  
right into him. He looked up to see almost of all his troops, dead on the ground, and about a  
  
hundred soldiers, all dressed as normal people, holding bows, were standing behind where his  
  
troops once were. In the front of them, was Mao Zi Long.   
  
"It's over now, Li Ru, surrender," he yelled, "the people are in revolt and are fighting back  
  
at Dong Zhuo. You don't want to be one of the ones that are killed in it."  
  
And so, thanks to Mao Zi Long's rebels, Liu Bei's forces cleared the way for the rest of  
  
the Southern Army. It was a victory that would effect the tide of the war.  
  
Hu Lao Gate shattered, and Cao Cao's troops ran forward, directly towards the city.   
  
They did not run far, however, and stopped as soon as they reached the end of the barricades.   
  
One of the soldiers shouted, "Is that who I think it is?" The soldiers stopped, seeing Lu Bu right  
  
in front of them. Knowing his patience paid off, Lu Bu rode into enemy forces, killing many of  
  
them with ease. Zhang Liao and Li Jue followed. After 5 minutes, Cao Cao's force was in full  
  
retreat, as they had only been killed, and never killed.  
  
Not pursuing the enemies, Lu Bu stayed behind the gate, taunting Cao Cao. "Come! Who  
  
else wishes to die?" There was no soldier in the entire allied force at the east gate, that could  
  
match up to Lu Bu. No soldier, at least.  
  
A massive warrior rode through the gate, waving around his halberd. He challenged Lu  
  
Bu to a duel. "Just us two, you and I, no help from your allies!" he yelled, getting off of his  
  
horse. "I can defeat you anytime."  
  
"Hah! You really think you can surpass me?" Lu Bu dismounted Red Hare and accepted  
  
the warrior's challenge. "Very well! Walk to you death!" He ran at the warrior and he and Lu  
  
Xian begin throwing jabs and slashes at each other.  
  
"I just couldn't stop him. He seemed eager to get to battle, so I let him go," Xiu Luo  
  
explained to Ma Yuan. "I hope he doesn't kill himself."  
  
"Then we would be two men down, right?" Ma Yuan sighed saying this, as he looked  
  
back at Zhang Ce. "Where the hell is Yuan Chu?" It had been weeks since Yuan Chu left to find  
  
this 'Doctor' that he mentioned, and has not sent word or anything. Ma Yuan was starting to  
  
doubt his lifetime friend's survival. Zhang Ce had been unconscious for 2 days, but was still  
  
breathing.  
  
Ma Yuan got up from his seat and walked out of the tent, looking up at the sun. He  
  
turned his attention to finding Liu Wei, Ce's would-be assailant. However, after looking around  
  
the main camp, he could not find him. He asked one of the guards about Wei's whereabouts.   
  
"Liu Wei? You mean that prisoner? He left about a week ago, said he had some business  
  
to take care of." Almost instantly, Ma Yuan's hands wrapped around the guard's neck.  
  
"Why the hell did you let him leave!?! He will be the death of my friend and you let him  
  
go?!?" After realizing taking his anger out on a common soldier would get him no where good,  
  
he let go of the guard's neck, who quickly ran away. Seeing this commotion, Otori Takeo walked  
  
over to Ma Yuan.  
  
"Hey, you need to calm down, alright? Everyone loses a friend or family once in awhile.   
  
You can't let it control you. You have to find peace with yourself. You can't let the actions of  
  
others effect those around detrimentally.  
  
Ma Yuan did want to control his temper, but he couldn't help himself. "How do you  
  
'calm' down then?"  
  
"Me?" Takeo hesitated. "I take it out on those who deserve it." It was then that Ma Yuan  
  
decided what to do. Taking a horse from the stable there, he rode out towards the southern gate  
  
of Luo Yang, and towards Liu Wei.  
  
Lu Bu's weapon missed it's target barely, as his opponent jumped up. Still in the air, Lu  
  
Xian swung down at Lu Bu almost hitting him in the head if Lu Bu had not ducked. As the battle  
  
went on, many were very surprised by this unknown man's skill with weapons. Which also meant  
  
that someone stood a chance against a Lu Bu, so Cao Cao's soldiers' panic stopped. Using this  
  
opportunity, Cao Cao ordered all his troops to advance around Lu Bu and towards the enemy  
  
troops. Busy with the duel, Lu Bu was unable to give orders to his troops and wouldn't care less.   
  
Cao Cao's troops fought hand to hand against the remaining forces of Dong Zhuo, who they  
  
outnumbered greatly.  
  
They outnumbered them, but Cao Cao's troops were unable to compete with one of Lu  
  
Bu's officers. Zhang Liao ran out towards them, slashing away at the enemy troops. His skill  
  
with a pike was unmatched and made easy killings against them. Xiahou Dun decided it was his  
  
turn and rode out to meet Zhang Liao in combat. "Zhang Liao! You have no honor with him as  
  
your leader. Come, Fight me and prove yourself worthy of living," Xiahou Dun challenged him to  
  
a duel, picking up a spear from a fallen soldier.  
  
Zhang Liao had never lost a duel nor deny one, and he did not intend to. "Very well, I  
  
will strike you down!" Zhang Liao dove at Xiahou Dun and the two also began in a duel. This  
  
caused a separation of forces, as neither Cao Cao's troops nor Dong Zhuo's could get by when  
  
the two duels were in progress, as they feared they would get killed by accident. All they could  
  
do was watch and hope their generals would win.  
  
"This will not happen, I say, it will not!" Dong Zhuo shouted as he learned of the fall of  
  
the south gate. "That's it, we are moving the capital to Hong Nong!" He ordered the movement  
  
of every citizen to Hong Nong, a city west from Luo Yang. Obviously, every one of his advisors  
  
hated this plan.   
  
"But sir," Wang Yun insisted, "Moving everyone would require massive resources, and no  
  
one will like the idea of being forced to move. They might also chase after us, it's not that easy.   
  
If they decide to use the city as a fortress, we might not be able to defend ourselves after awhile."  
  
Dong Zhuo smirked. "I already have a plan to prevent that. Now take the emperor and  
  
everyone in the palace and move them westward. Alert all citizens as well. Tell them they will  
  
die if they do not leave."  
  
"They will die?" Wang Yun asked, suspiciously.  
  
"More specifically, they will burn to death."  
  
The Allied force that had advanced from the south was now moving into the city, heading  
  
directly towards the palace. They intended to find and kill Dong Zhuo along with any of his  
  
followers that were still loyal. They also wanted to make sure the emperor was safe. As they  
  
proceeded through the streets, though, they noticed something that was unusual. Very Unusual.   
  
They were empty. The streets, the houses, everything. The city was always in constant motion,  
  
but now it was quiet. Something was clearly wrong.  
  
"What is going on, where is everyone?" Zhang Fei asked his brothers.  
  
"I don't know but it cant be-" Liu Bei stopped, hearing the cries of someone in a house  
  
they had passed. Quickly dismounting, Liu Bei ran towards the source of the sound. He found a  
  
little girl, crying in her house. "Are you okay, what is wrong?"  
  
The little girl, sobbing in her arms, was a little relieved by Liu Bei, as he was a famous for  
  
being noble and caring. "M-My parents! Th-They just D-Decided to leave and I miss them....."   
  
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei came in at that time also.   
  
"Come on, we'll help you get out of here," Liu Bei said. However, that was that last  
  
words that he would speak, as at that moment, something terrible happened.  
  
The two duels were at their peaks when the noise and scene reached their ears and eyes.   
  
All four of the men stopped their actions, as they watched in horror. The city was on fire. All of  
  
it. The houses were burning, the stores, the granaries, everything. It was all on fire, and there  
  
was no hope of saving it.   
  
"What the hell is he thinking?!?" Zhang Liao shouted. The only reason he was on the side  
  
of Dong Zhuo was because he believed that with him on the stronger side, there would be less  
  
conflict. He made the wrong decision, and was now hating himself for it.  
  
The members of the southern force that survived tried to flee the carnage. As Yuan Shu  
  
was fleeing, though, a wall from a building fell down and almost hit him. A hooded person dove  
  
out and knocked him out from under the debris, saving his life. Yuan Shu looked up in surprise,  
  
then looked at the man. "Thank you, you saved my life, who are you anyways?" The man stood  
  
silent.  
  
He smiled and said, "I'm a representative." With these words, the man drew his sword and  
  
stabbed Yuan Shu through the neck, completely catching him off his guard. As Yuan Shu fell  
  
over, the man took off his hood, and walked away. "Hmph, that felt pretty good." Liu Wei  
  
picked up from a walk to a run and fled with everyone else. 


End file.
